


Instant Messaging V

by TheSaddleman



Series: Instant Messaging [9]
Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who & Related Fandoms, Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: F/M, Friendship, Heart to Heart Conversation, Psychic Paper, Romance, Sick Fic, remote communication, whouffaldi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-13
Updated: 2016-11-13
Packaged: 2018-08-30 19:19:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,525
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8545948
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheSaddleman/pseuds/TheSaddleman
Summary: The Doctor is puzzled when he starts receiving unintended messages via psychic paper from Clara.





	

**Author's Note:**

> One of the more freeform of my Instant Messaging series, this is pretty much a rambling improvisation, but with I hope some cute character moments. It also has elements of "sick fic" but that's not the prime focus.

     _Idiot! Get out of the way!_

     _God!_

     _Didn’t you see me!?!_

     _You could have killed me!_

     _Get your phone out of your ear!_

Clara?

What’s wrong?

Are you OK?

     _I’m going to be late for class._

     _Armitage is already mad at me._

     _The Doctor has to stop_

     _barging in mid-class._

     _Had me chasing Daleks all night._

     _Overslept._

     _I’ll get fired._

Uh, Clara?

Are you there?

What’s happening?

You talking to yourself?

     …

     …

     _Almost out of petrol._

     _I’ll pick up after school._

     _Need to get something for supper too._

     _Some wine, too._

OK, I think I know what’s happening.

You’re subconsciously calling me.

With the psychic paper.

Only you could figure out

a way to do that!

     _There’s Courtney._

     _She looks sad._

     _Very sad._

     _What’s wrong, Courtney?_

This is eavesdropping.

I shouldn’t do it.

     _I know the test was hard._

     _But you did OK._

     _Little weak in some areas._

     _See me after class and_

     _I’ll sort you out._

     _What? Where?_

     _Whoa!_

     _I never usually get nosebleeds._

Nosebleeds?

Probably the polluted London air.

***

_(Later…)_

Clara?

Are you there?

     _God this coffee tastes so good!_

     _I want to swim in a lake of espresso!_

Very poetic…

     _Maybe the Doctor will take me_

     _to a planet with coffee oceans._

Well, now that you mention it

there’s this little place in Ursa Minor…

     _Six days till Wednesday._

     _Maybe I’ll finally tell him._

Tell me what?

Clara, you’re still 

sending signals.

Stop thinking so hard!

Must have something on your mind.

     _Oh no, there’s Philip._

     _He’s going to hit on me again._

He’s going to do WHAT?

Remember your tae-kwon-do!

     _Hi, Philip!_

     …

     _Well, thank you._

     _I already have an espresso, thanks._

     _You’re dressed nicely, too._

Oh that kind of hitting on.

Remember your tae-kwon-do!

     _No, I’m sorry._

     _I have other plans._

     _I’m busy, every night._

     _Busy life I lead._

     _Doing teaching things._

     _Seeing my Doctor._

Aww…

     _Bye!_

You handled that well.

     _Doctor. Please take me away._

     _I miss you._

Would you just look at the damn…

What’s the use?

Vibration’s obviously not working.

I want to be there.

But the TARDIS

is repairing itself.

Accidentally materialized

too close to a black hole.

My fault.

But she’s out of commission

for a few hours.

Means no superphone either.

Only psychic paper.

I miss you.

But you can’t see this.

So why am I talking to myself?

Again?

     _God, I have to get back to class._

     _Joy._

     _Whoa! Stood up too fast._

     _My stomach._

     _Stress, I suppose._

     _Should use the loo first._

OK, signing off!

***

_(Later…)_

Third time’s the charm.

Clara? 

Clara Clara Clara Clara Clara.

     …

Clara?

     _Thank you, Doctor._

You’re welcome.

For what?

     _Are there any side-effects?_

Side-effects?

For what?

     _Thanks._

     …

     _Oh, I picked it up when I_

     _was travelling._

     _Uh, down south._

Down south?

What are you talking about?

What do you mean…

Oh no.

Donsooth III! The market!

…

$%$^#%$ TARDIS.

I need you to work!

I need to get to Clara!

Whatever that doctor gave you, Clara

don’t take it!

***

_(Soon after…)_

     _Hello? I need an ambulance._

     _I need help._

     _I tried calling the Doctor._

     _My Doctor._

     _He’s not picking up._

     _I need to go to hospital._

CLARA, I’M RIGHT HERE!

Come on, Clara.

We’ve been doing this for months!

I’M IN YOUR DAMN POCKET!

The phone isn’t working yet.

You have Arcavian food poisoning.

I need to walk you through

the cure.

I told you not to try

the yellow fish.

But did you listen?

Noooooo.

Thought maybe being human

you’d be OK.

I was wrong.

     _I’m at the corner of Foreman Street_

     _and Cranfield Mews._

     _By the old scrapyard._

     _Please hurry._

     _Please hur..._

     …

     …

Clara?

     …

     …

CLARA?

***

_(Later…)_

Still two hours before reboot.

OK, think.

She’s probably passed out.

Arcavian food poisoning

randomly cuts off oxygen to the brain

causes unconsciousness.

Possible brain damage if it happens

too much.

Normal meds make it worse.

Please be safe, Clara.

That scrapyard sounded familiar.

Not a good place to pass out.

Dammit, please pick up-

     _Doctor?_

     _Are you there?_

CLARA!

     _Don’t shout!_

     _My eyes are ringing._

Are you OK?

Been trying to reach you forever.

     _No, I’m not OK._

I know.

     _How?_

Been getting messages for hours.

But you didn’t know.

     _What?_

You nearly got into an accident.

Then you talked to Courtney.

And when you got ill

at the café. 

     _You mean, I butt-dialled you?_

Never thought of it that way.

Guess so.

Where are you?

     _I’m in hospital._

Thank God.

I saw you call an ambulance

but then you must have passed out.

     _I did._

     _Why aren’t you here?_

     _Last time I sneezed_

     _you nearly dropped everything._

TARDIS is out of commission.

It’s your today here.

But I’m 100 million light years to your left.

Your other left.

Phone doesn’t work either.

     _Are you OK?_

I’m fine.

TARDIS will be too, eventually.

How do you feel?

     _Woozy._

     _I miss you._

     _I don’t know what’s wrong with me._

Donsooth III.

That’s what’s wrong with you.

     _The yellow fish?_

Yup.

     _#$%@._

You teach kids with that mouth?

     _$#^@ you._

     _And that came straight from the heart._

What are they giving you?

     _They say I was dehydrated._

     _So just saline, I think._

     _Lots of saline._

     _Big bag of the stuff_

     _hooked up to me._

     _They call it a bomb._

     _Does wonders for the complexion._

Humans and their priorities.

     _Silver linings._

     _Will it work?_

It will delay the effects

but won’t cure you.

Once you’re off the saline

you’ll start fainting again.

And dehydrating.

Better than whatever meds

they gave you earlier.

     _But there’s a cure._

Not on earth.

     _Should I be worried?_

I made up a dose.

But I have to wait for the 

TARDIS to fix itself.

     _How long?_

Normally I’d say a few seconds.

Time machine, right?

But had to bypass 

some safeties to speed up repair.

Stuck in relative time for now.

2 hours for me.

2 hours for you.

Fact I’m not there now

means I can’t go back.

Just sit tight.

     _Fixed points in time_

     _can really spoil a day, eh?_

     _I guess this was my fault._

     _No more exotic fish for me._

Says the girl who insisted on

trying fugo in Tokyo.

     _You tried it too._

Yes, but I can regenerate. 

     _Wish I could regenerate._

     _Be able to start fresh_

     _when the old me is wearing thin._

No you don’t, Clara.

Regeneration isn’t pleasant.

Well, OK, Romana enjoyed her first one.

But she was always a bit ... odd.

You saw how difficult it was for me.

     _Your change was easy._

     _I made it difficult._

We’ve been over this.

You had a right to be upset.

     _That’s no excuse._

     _I remember I hurt you._

     _I never told you_

     _that Vastra gave me hell._

     _Accused me of ageism._

Sounds like Vastra.

Always a sucker for causes.

     _But she was right._

     _I reacted badly_

     _because on Trenzalore I ..._

     _I realized ..._

     _No, Clara you’re not going there._

Going where?

Are they moving you?

     _Sorry, ignore me._

Why would I do that?

     _Did you delete those lessons_

     _on human idioms, Doctor?_

May-be.

     _Point being, I wasn’t fair._

     _I’m sorry._

No need to apologize.

It all worked out.

     _I guess._

     _Keep me company?_

Of course. 

What do you want to do?

To kill time?

    __|__|__  
    __|__|__  
       |   | 

You’re joking.

Noughts and Crosses?

     _X, middle top._

Oh, suit yourself.

O, top right.

     _X, middle._

X, bottom middle.

     _O, bottom right..._

***

_(Twenty games later)_

You’re cheating.

     _At Noughts and Crosses?_

Bobby Fischer won’t 

play chess with me.

Honinbo Shusai called me

the true Master of Go.

But I can’t beat a schoolteacher

at tic-tac-toe.

     _You can’t be best at everything._

Why not?

Why can’t I be?

     _Are you sulking?_

Noooo…

     _Heh heh heh!_

     _Just thought of you and your face_

     _looking all grumpy._

And that amuses you.

     _You’re cute when you’re grumpy._

Gee, thanks.

     _You smile a lot more now though._

     _I like that._

I’ve had a good teacher…

     _Thanks..._

…Strax always is good for a giggle.

     _Yeah, yeah._

     _So, how long?_

Not long now.

Then you’ll see my grumpy face

in person.

     _Good._

     _Oh, yeah, almost forgot._

     _Dr. Seagrove will be happy to see you._

Who?

     _Remember, when my appendix burst?_

     _She was my doctor._

     _Had the hots for you_

     _big time._

How do you know?

     _Kept asking about you._

     _Something about a consultation._

     _A private consultation._

     _:-)_

How did you do that?

     _Practice._

     _Emojis will be next._

Rassilon preserve us.

Well, Dr. Seagrove will have to

privately consult with someone else.

My eyes are only for you

not some lovesick doctor.

     _Good._

     _I don’t want to share you._

     _With anyone._

     _Not Missy, no one._

     _Clara and the Doctor._

     _Forev-._

NO!

     _What?_

Never say that.

Never.

I’ve had others say that.

And it didn’t end well.

     _Sorry._

That’s OK.

Hey, the TARDIS has

nearly rebooted.

Be there in a jiffy.

Maybe two and a half jiffies.

Have you fixed up

and out of there in no time.

     _And then?_

Home, Clara.

You’ll need to rest.

     _Why can’t I rest with you?_

     _Take me somewhere quiet._

     _No school._

     _No kids._

     _No poison fish._

The Eye of Orion.

Perfect place for relaxation.

     _Sounds like paradise._

As long as you’re there, it will be.

OK, Clara. 

Here I come.

**Author's Note:**

> Dr. Seagrove is a character from "Where He Needed to Go" (http://archiveofourown.org/works/7240825), a previous hospital-based story who is named after (and based upon) Jenny Seagrove, who played Peter Capaldi's love interest in his first film, Local Hero. 
> 
> Foreman Street is taken from information related to the spin-off series Class which (based on a document appearing in an episode) establishes that Coal Hill Academy is located on Foreman Street (which in turn is presumably named for both Susan Foreman, as well as IM Foreman, the owner of the junkyard where the Doctor first parked his TARDIS way back in An Unearthly Child. Cranfield Mews my own creation and is named for Reg Cranfield, the very first actor to appear in a televised Doctor Who episode (he played the policeman at the start of the very first episode).


End file.
